Ancestral Memories, Ritual Archives and the Anatomisation of Yorubaisms in Nicolás Guillén’s Poetics

Abstract

In view of the valorisation of Yorùbá cultural elements in the poetry of the Atlantic Yorùbá poets, it has been observed that the poets often use enormous continental Yorùbá cultural resources in their creative explorations. This is achieved through the retentive agencies of oral traditions, history and instinct employed by the poets to assert their Yorùbá cultural heritage and create a unique identity for themselves amidst the labyrinth of American rainbow cultures. Identity creation and affirmation becomes important to them, considering the conflict of identities or double consciousness that the peculiar multicultural Atlantic space has fostered on the American Yorùbá and other African Diasporas in the New World. To this end, this article examines the preponderance of Yorùbá cultural elements (Yorubaisms) in Nicolás Guillén’s collections: Yoruba from Cuba and Man-making Words to asseverate how his unconscious explores the elements for identity (re)creation, portrayal of transatlantic slavery and propagation of his mulatez integrationist philosophy. The examination is expedient in order to anatomise the cultural configurations of the Americas and identify those unique continental Yorùbá cultural influences there. The article is mainly anchored in Jungian collective unconscious or racial memory to expound peculiar repressed cultural information which finds expression in Guillén’s poems.

Opsomming

In die lig van die valorisering van Joroeba- kulturele elemente in die poësie van die Atlantiese Joroeba-digters, is daar opgemerk dat hierdie digters dikwels enorme kontinentale Joroeba-kulturele hulpbronne gebruik in hul kreatiewe ondersoeke. Dit word bewerkstellig deur die inhoudende werkings van mondelinge tradisies, geskiedenis en instink wat deur die digters ingespan word om hul Joroeba-kultuurerfenis te laat geld en vir hulself  'n unieke identiteit te skep in die doolhof van Amerikaanse reënboogkulture. Identiteitskepping en bevestiging word vir hulle belangrik wanneer die teenstrydige identiteite of dubbele bewustheid wat die eienaardige multikulturele Atlantiese  ruimte in die Amerikaanse Joroeba- en ander Afrika-diasporas in die Nuwe Wêreld bevorder het, in ag geneem word. Vir dié doel bestudeer hierdie artikel die oorheersing van Joroeba-kulturele elemente (Joroebaïsmes) in Nicolás Guillén se versamelings: Joroeba van Kuba en Mensmakende woorde om te verklaar hoe sy onbewuste die elemente vir identiteit(her)-skepping, uitbeelding van transatlantiese slawerny en uitbreiding van sy mulatez-integrasionis-filosofie ondersoek. Die studie is geskik om die kulturele groeperings van die Amerikas te anatomiseer en die unieke kontinentale Joroeba-kulturele invloede wat daar werksaam is, te identifiseer. Die artikel is hoofsaaklik geanker in Jungiaanse kollektiewe onbewuste of rassegeheue, om buitengewone, onderdrukte kulturele inligting wat tot uitdrukking kom in Guillén se digkuns, te verklaar.